Department for Transport

A27: East Sussex

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they have taken the decision to proceed with the A27 Lewes–Polegate improvement project; what is the project's latest benefit-cost ratio; what environmental impact assessments have been (1) completed, and (2) published; and what consideration they have given to upgrading the East Coastway rail line as an alternative to this project.

baroness vere of norbiton: No decision has been taken on whether to fund further enhancements to the A27 between Lewes and Polegate beyond those already in construction. The second Road Investment Strategy, published in March, commissioned Highways England to develop proposals for this route for possible delivery after 2025. This work is expected to explore potential options and their benefits and costs, including environmental impacts, as appropriate.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Annual Reports

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of all reports required to be produced under section 2 of the High Speed Rail (Preparation) Act 2013; and, if so, to include the dates on which those reports were presented to Parliament.

baroness vere of norbiton: There have been four reports published under the High-Speed (Preparation) Act 2013, covering the periods from: 21 November 2013 - 31 March 2015, published in November 20151 April 2015 – 31 March 2016, published in October 20161 April 2016 - 31 March 2017, published in October 20171 April 2017 - 31 March 2018, published in March 2019 The expenditure report of 1 April 2015 – 31 March 2016, was placed in the libraries of both Houses in October 2016. We will place the other copies of the published reports in the libraries of both Houses, as well as the upcoming report covering the period 1 April 2018 – 31 March 2019, once published.



HS2 Prep Act 2013-15
(PDF Document, 464.87 KB)




HS2 Prep Act 2016-17
(PDF Document, 1.5 MB)




HS2 Prep Act 2017-18
(PDF Document, 364.92 KB)

Bus Services and Railways: Coronavirus

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase demand for the (1) bus, and (2) rail, sectors as the restrictions in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic are eased.

baroness vere of norbiton: We are working closely with operators, Network Rail, TfL, the British Transport Police and Trade Unions to ensure robust plans are in place to meet demand and support safer travel. The Department has issued guidance to ensure people stay safe while using public transport.We are fully supportive of encouraging people back on to public transport at the right time.

Garages and Petrol Stations: Alternative Fuels

lord oates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to introducing a requirement on petrol forecourts to provide (1) electric recharging, and (2) hydrogen refuelling, facilities; and what assessment they have made of thefeasibility of such a policy.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Government’s view is that the market is often better placed to identify the right locations for chargepoints and we encourage the private sector to invest in and operate a self-sustaining public network supported by the right policy framework. On 1 April 2020, there were 17,947 public electric vehicle charging devices available in the UK, 3,107 of which were rapid devices. In the first three months of 2020, 1,436 more devices were available in total, an increase of 9%. Rapid devices also increased by 283, up 10% on the previous quarter. The Automated and Electric Vehicles Act (AEVA) provides the Government with a range of powers to improve the charging experience for current and future users, including compelling fuel retailers to install chargepoints. The Government has had a number of discussions with representatives of fuel retailers about the provision of electric vehicle chargepoints at service stations and petrol forecourts, and we shall continue to explore options with them. In May, the Government published an ambitious vision for rapid charging infrastructure along strategic roads in England over the next decade, setting out the number of rapid chargepoints that will be located across motorways and major A roads to meet the future demand for electric vehicle charging. Currently, a driver is never more than 25 miles away from a rapid (50 kilowatt) chargepoint anywhere along England’s motorways and major A roads, with a total of 809 open-access rapid chargepoints, as of 1 January 2020. This includes an average of 2 rapid chargepoints at motorway service areas with more being rolled out over the next year. The UK is well placed to be a leader in hydrogen fuel cell powered transportation and we are supporting hydrogen where the market favours its use. The UK has one of the largest hydrogen refuelling station networks in Europe. The Government’s £23m Hydrogen for Transport Programme is increasing the uptake of fuel cell electric vehicles and delivering new refuelling stations and upgrading some existing stations, as well as deploying hundreds of new hydrogen vehicles.

Shipping: Coronavirus

lord patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of (1) vessels, and (2) crew members, registered abroad, currently stranded in UK ports.

baroness vere of norbiton: There are currently 4,028 Foreign National crew on board 25 cruise vessels that are not registered in the UK or within the wider Red Ensign Group. 1,250 of these crew require repatriation. We have so far repatriated 7,752 Foreign National crew from cruise ships not registered with the UK or the wider Red Ensign Group. We continue to work with the industry, unions and maritime charities to provide support and assistance to all seafarers in the UK.

Large Goods Vehicles: Testing

earl attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many heavy goods vehicles have been issued with a certificate of temporary exemption from platingor testing under section 53(5) of the Road Traffic Act 1988, during each of the last fivecalendar years before 31 December 2019.

baroness vere of norbiton: There were no heavy goods vehicles issued with a certificate of temporary exemption from plating or testing under section 53(5) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 during each of the last five calendar years before 31 December 2019.

Large Goods Vehicles: Coronavirus

earl attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether heavy goods vehicle (HGV) operators are expected to carry out six-weekly safety inspections during the COVID-19 pandemic; whether they are conducting such inspections; and if so, why it is not possible to carry out statutory MOT tests on HGVs.

baroness vere of norbiton: Heavy goods vehicle (HGV) operators are expected to maintain their vehicles in order to ensure their safety at all times. During the COVID-19 pandemic, specific guidance relating to periodic maintenance inspections was published by the Traffic Commissioners, setting out circumstances in which inspection periods may be extended. Primary legislation identifies annual testing for heavy goods vehicles as distinct from the MOT scheme. For most heavy vehicles the statutory annual tests are an independent check which supplements the periodic maintenance inspections. Permitting a wider range of testers for the statutory annual HGV test would require significant work to establish a regime which assures the quality and independence of testing and manages road safety risk and financial incentives.

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency: Fringe Benefits and Pay

earl attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the salary range for Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency-employed heavy vehicle testers who undertake tests at authorised testing facilities; and what travel allowances are available to them.

baroness vere of norbiton: Vehicle Standards Assessors (VSA) conduct heavy goods vehicle (HGV) tests at Authorised Testing Facilities (ATF). The basic annual salary for a VSA is £21,167 plus a technical recruitment allowance of £2,590 per annum. In addition, they receive one of two payments dependent on their committed availability to be scheduled for testing as follows: Option A:An annual payment of £2,400 for being scheduled between 06:00 – 22:00 Monday to Friday and 06:00 – 18:00 Saturday Option B:An annual payment of £3,500 for being scheduled in line with Option A above plus:06:00 – 18:00 Sunday06:00 – 18:00 Bank Holiday22:00 – 06:00 Monday – Friday18:00 – 06:00 Saturday – Sunday & Bank Holidays  This means the financial package available to VSAs is between £26,157 and £27,257. This is subject to normal Civil Service pay review which, following TU negotiation, is effective from 1 October annually. VSAs may have a lease car provided by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and can claim work relate mileage at the rate set by HMRC: currently this is 8p or 9p mile dependent on engine size. DVSA employees who use their own car for work purposes can claim either 25p or 35p per mile depending on the length of employment.

Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation: Hydrogen

lord oates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey are takingto incentivise the production of hydrogen through the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation.

baroness vere of norbiton: Under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) certificate trading scheme, renewable hydrogen supplied in the UK for use in road vehicles and certain non-road mobile machinery is eligible for support. It is categorised as a development fuel, which potentially benefits from a higher tradeable certificate value.

Aviation: Coronavirus

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what basis they decided toexclude Portugal as an ‘air bridge’ country necessitating passengers to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in the UK from that country.

baroness vere of norbiton: Decisions on the list of countries that are exempt from self-isolation requirements have been guided by the science. The Joint Biosecurity Centre, in close consultation with Public Health England and the Chief Medical Officer, has developed an approach to assessing the public health risk associated with inbound travel from specific countries and territories. This categorisation has informed the government’s decisions about relaxation of border measures. The categorisation has been informed by an estimate of the proportion of the population that is currently infectious in each country, virus incidence rates, trends in incidence and deaths, transmission status and international epidemic intelligence as well as information on a country’s testing capacity and an assessment of the quality of the data available. The government will keep the requirements and exemptions set out in the regulations under review.

Aerobility: Finance

baroness garden of frognal: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the value of the grant from the Department for Transport to Aerobility for the Vigilant T1 aircraft.

baroness vere of norbiton: A grant of £745,000 was awarded to Aerobility, a registered charity, to support its work to refurbish the Vigilant T1 glider fleet, acquired from the Ministry of Defence. The gliders had been grounded by the Royal Air Force in May 2018. The grant was specifically to cover the costs relating to the refurbishment package, including modifications needed to enable people with physical disabilities to fly the gliders, and for the full refurbishment of eight aircraft, to be retained by Aerobility for its operations.Expanding Aerobility’s fleet of aircraft will lead to a number of benefits, including, improving access to flight training and flight experiences for those living with physical and mental disabilities. It will also enable Aerobility to offer services at additional locations in the UK.

Travel: Coronavirus

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government how frequently they intend to update the list of countries exempt from the UK COVID-19 travel quarantine rules; what (1) criteria, and (2) data, will be used to inform such decisions; whether the implementation of changes to the list of exempt countries will be subject to a notice period; and if so, what will be the length of any such notice period.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Secretary of State for Transport made a Written Ministerial Statement on travel corridors on 6 July 2020 setting out the criteria and data that the Government has used when making decisions on travel corridors. The Health Regulations relating to the self-isolation requirements remain under constant review and are updated as required. Public health remains our top priority, and we will not hesitate to remove countries and territories from the list urgently if the health risks are seen to increase such that there is a risk to the UK public’s health from arrivals from these countries or territories.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Space Technology: Research

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the OneWeb satellite constellation for astronomy and other space science research; and what steps they will take to mitigate interference.

lord callanan: OneWeb has met with the Royal Astronomical Society as well as representatives from the UK Space Agency and European Space Agency to discuss the potential impact of its operations on astronomy. We will continue to support this dialogue on an ongoing basis.

Satellites

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the compatibility of the planned OneWeb satellite constellation with the UK’s obligations to (1) the European Southern Observatory, and (2) other intergovernmental research organisations.

lord callanan: The UK Space Agency is working with UK Research and Innovation and the science community - including through our membership of international bodies - to ensure mitigation options are properly considered that may be necessary for the UK to continue to meet its obligations to the European Southern Observatory and other intergovernmental research organisations. Government will be encouraging a responsible and engaged approach from One Web.

Oneweb

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultations, if any, they have undertaken with (1) the European Southern Observatory, (2) the Square Kilometre Array, (3) the Vera Rubin Observatory, and (4) other relevant research consortia, on the UK-led consortium’s acquisition of OneWeb.

lord callanan: As part of developing our bid and making the acquisition of OneWeb, the UK Government undertook appropriate due diligence.OneWeb has met with the Royal Astronomical Society as well as representatives from the UK Space Agency and European Space Agency to discuss the potential impact of its operations on astronomy. We will continue to support this dialogue on an ongoing basisBEIS and the UK Space Agency will continue to support the UK science and astronomy community in addressing this issue. The community is working with colleagues from the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), the European Astronomical Society and the International Astronomical Union to clarify what actions could be taken to mitigate interference for the UK community and our international partners.OneWeb has been engaging with the community and met with the RAS and representatives from the UK Space Agency in January. The RAS is now seeking further discussions with both Government and OneWeb to consider potential impacts on science and risk mitigations.

Electricity Generation: Carbon Emissions

lord ravensdale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential for investment in zero emissions electricity systems to stimulate economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, including (1) additional renewables capacity, (2) additional nuclear capacity, and (3) storage, transmission and distribution systems.

lord callanan: In his speech of 30 June, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister made clear that in recovering from COVID-19, we must build back better, build back greener, build back faster, and to do that at the pace that this moment requires. Our economy must be cleaner, more sustainable, and more resilient. Renewable and low carbon energy are important in the delivery of our Net Zero target and will help drive new jobs and growth across the UK. The Government announced on 2 March 2020 that, in addition to offshore wind, onshore wind and solar projects can bid for contracts in the next Contracts for Difference allocation round planned for 2021. At the budget, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an ambitious support package for our low-carbon economy including £800 million funding to deploy the first carbon capture and storage cluster in the UK. These announcements reflect our commitment to reach our net zero target, through a sustainable, diverse, and resilient energy system and capture economic opportunities in doing so. Nuclear power has the potential to play a key role in achieving net zero and as the Prime Minister noted in his 30 June speech is an important UK innovation sector. We consulted on a Regulated Asset Base (RAB) financing model to enable new nuclear projects last year and are considering the responses we received – we will publish our response in due course. We also awarded an initial £18m R&D grant, under the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, to a Rolls-Royce led consortium developing an SMR design last year, with a decision to be taken on possibility of further grant of c.£200m later in 2020. Economic recovery post Covid-19 is clearly a new context in which future investment decisions will be taken. Electricity storage has a key role to play in decarbonising our energy system. We are facilitating investment in storage through delivering the actions set out in the Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan, including creating a best-in-class regulatory framework and reforming markets. Energy network regulation is a matter for Ofgem, as the independent regulator, and Ofgem is considering how the upcoming network price controls, for example, can help stimulate the recovery while delivering net zero at the lowest cost to consumers. Government will continue to engage with Ofgem on these issues.

Hydrogen

lord oates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the steps taken by the EU to establish the Clean Hydrogen Alliance; and what steps they are taking to establish a formal working group for regular engagement with industry in the UK about the use of hydrogen as an energy source.

lord callanan: We recognise that the scale up and demonstration of hydrogen’s potential in meeting Paris commitments is a global challenge. We are an active member of Mission Innovation and the International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy. Since the UK has left the European Union, we are seeking to engage and cooperate with the EU on hydrogen through normal diplomatic channels. Therefore, the UK will not attend EU meetings or working groups on this topic other than in exceptional circumstances. Whilst the UK is leaving the EU single market, it remains an important part of the gas supply system for North West Europe. The UK, including industry, can expect to work cooperatively with its neighbours to sustain this mutually beneficial relationship into the future as the methane gas market is decarbonised, potentially leading to a European hydrogen market.

Architecture: Ethnic Groups

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to support BAME–led architecture practices and BAME built environment professionals in their plans for the economic recoveryfrom the COVID-19 pandemic.

lord callanan: We are continuing to work across Government and with a wide array of stakeholders including the Royal Institute of British Architects, to ensure that diverse voices are heard in the policy making process, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are supporting the construction sector by helping it drive increased investment in skills development, adopt a more strategic and co-ordinated approach to recruitment, and equip workers with the skills they need for the future. Additionally, the Professional and Business Services Council’s Skills and Inclusion Working Group is engaged on access to skills to support business growth in the industry, as well as considering how to increase social mobility within the sector. The group have convened a sub-group to consider immediate emerging skills issues that have arisen as a result of COVID-19.

Company Accounts

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce an equivalent of the US Sarbanes-Oxley Act 2002 in the UK; and what assessment they have made of whether any such legislation would (1) increase confidence in company accounts, and (2) reduce fraud.

lord callanan: The Independent Review of the Financial Reporting Council recommended that government should consider the case for adopting a strengthened framework around internal controls on a similar basis to the Sarbanes-Oxley regime in the US. In response, the Government is exploring options in this area and will bring forward a detailed consultation in due course. The Review heard that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, passed in 2002, has led to better financial reporting, with a lower incidence of significant accounting re-statements, but also recognised the higher costs for companies. Any strengthening of the UK regime would need to take account of the UK’s well-established internal control framework comprising interlocking company law requirements, Listing Rules, UK Corporate Governance Code provisions and auditor responsibilities.

Green Homes Grant Scheme

the lord bishop of salisbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the green homes grant on 8 July (HC Deb, col 976), whether (1) clergy housing, and (2) buildings open to the public and run by charities, such as churches, are eligible for that grant. [T]

lord callanan: In his Summer Economic Update, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a £2bn Green Home Grant scheme that will support homeowners and landlords in England to improve the energy efficiency of their properties, reducing energy bills and carbon emissions, and supporting a green economic recovery.The funding will be spent on paying for accredited tradespeople to install a range of measures, for example insulation, to improve the energy performance of their homes.Further detail on eligibility will be announced before the full launch of the scheme.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Cyprus: Politics and Government

lord maginnis of drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 2 July (HL5932), what assessment they have made of the difference in the rights of (1) Turkish, and (2) Greek, Cypriots in Cyprus since the 1974 coup d'etat; and to list each meeting the British High Commissioner to Cyprus has had with representatives of (1) Turkish, and (2) Greek, Cypriot communities since 2014.

lord maginnis of drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on 2 July (HL5932), whether their agreement with the government of Cyprus on the regulation of non-military development in the Sovereign Base Areas in 2014 was (1) debated in Parliament, and (2) informed by consultation with representatives of the Turkish Cypriot community.

baroness sugg: The 2014 arrangement on non-military development of the Sovereign Base Areas is a non-legally binding arrangement between the UK Government and the Government of the Republic of Cyprus. It was not debated in the UK Parliament. The arrangement was discussed with representatives of the Turkish Cypriot community prior to and following its signature.The Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment (SEIA) report prepared for the draft Policy Statement and zoning maps of the SBAs, all published on 10th June 2020, are the result of extensive engagement and collaboration from 2014 onwards. The public consultation on the SEIA is open to Turkish Cypriots and related documents have been made available in Turkish.We recognise that the status quo in Cyprus causes serious difficulties for both Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots, including as a result of dispossession of property, enforced relocation of communities, and the problem of missing persons. We believe that the best way to secure the rights of all Cypriots is through a comprehensive agreement in accordance with UN resolutions.The High Commissioner continues to engage with representatives and members of the Turkish Cypriot community to answer questions, as do the Sovereign Base Areas Administration. The UK is committed to securing and promoting the rights of all residents and property-owners in the SBAs, regardless of whether they are Greek or Turkish Cypriot, and will continue working with all Cypriots to that end. A complete list of each of the meetings held with the two communities since 2014 is not held, given their frequency.

Bahrain: Coronavirus

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what assessment they have made of the call by Amnesty International on 16 June for Bahrain to halt the use of its ‘Bahrain BeAware’ contact tracing application; and (2) what representations they intend to make to the government of Bahrain to (a) remindit of its obligations under Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and (b) encourage that government to introduce safeguards to ensure the (i) anonymity of ‘Bahrain BeAware’ user data, and (ii) destruction of digital records at regular intervals.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Bahrain BeAware application was introduced by the Bahraini government to advance contact tracing efforts and save lives during the Covid-19 emergency as part of its Trace, Test and Treat strategy which has received praise from the World Health Organization (WHO). We understand that downloading the application and registration as a user is optional entirely voluntary. Users not in quarantine or mandatory self-isolation can uninstall the application at any time. All users are informed of its use of GPS software before downloading. The Government of Bahrain have been clear in their assurances of user privacy through a fully encrypted and automated process. , Any Location data t older than 6 weeks is deleted automatically from the system. Users can also request that their data is deleted from the system at any time.

Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy

lord touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many civil servants in (1) the Cabinet Office, (2) Number 10, (3) the Ministry of Defence, (4) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and (5) the Department for International Development, are working on the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Prime Minister will lead the Integrated Review, which will report into the National Security Council, with support from a cross-Whitehall team in Cabinet Office and a small team in Downing Street. This is a whole-of-government effort with colleagues from all Government departments contributing.

EU Countries: British Nationals Abroad

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 6 July (HL6037), to listthecountries in the EU which (1) do, or (2) do not, adequately protect the interests of UK citizens resident in those countries.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Withdrawal Agreement protects the rights of EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU who are lawfully resident by the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. It ensures they can continue to live, work, study and access benefits and services, such as healthcare, broadly as they do now. As is the case with other parts of EU law, the Withdrawal Agreement has direct effect in the EU and is binding on all Member States. These protections have supremacy over any national legislation in Member States that could be inconsistent with the Withdrawal Agreement now or in the future. We do not assess, at this time, that any Member States are not adequately protecting citizens' rights but we are closely monitoring the situation across the EU and we are providing the latest advice to UK nationals resident there via our Living in Guides on GOV.UK.Furthermore, the Government wrote to the European Commission on 14 May to set out our view on where progress on implementation could improve. The European Commission responded on 28 May, agreeing to work to address them in advance of the Part Two provisions coming into effect at the end of the transition period. The Government is working closely with all Member States on correct and timely implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement, via our network of Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates. The Specialised Committee on Citizens' Rights has also started its work to oversee the implementation and application of Part Two. Any breaches that we become aware of, leading to a loss of rights for UK nationals, during the transition period or in the future, will be raised at this Committee and escalated to the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee if required.

China: Uighurs

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 6 July (HL6103), whether they will now answer the question put, namely,what assessment they have made of reports that the decline in birth-rates among the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region’s ethnic minority communities may indicate the promotion of a coercive birth-prevention strategy targeted at ethnoreligious minority groups; and whether any such targeted coercive policy would require the UK Government to consider their obligations, as a signatory to the 1948 Convention on the Crime of Genocide, to prevent, protect, and hold to account perpetrators.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are aware of reports that the Chinese Government is using forced sterilisation to minimise Uyghur birth rates. As the Minister for Asia set out during an Urgent Question in the House of Commons on 29 June, these reports add to our concern about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and we are considering them carefully. On 9 March the Foreign Secretary raised our concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang with his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi. On 30 June, the UK read out a statement on behalf of 28 countries at the 44th session of the UN Human Rights Council highlighting concerns about arbitrary detention, widespread surveillance and restrictions in Xinjiang.

Iraq: Internally Displaced People

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the recommendations to the UN Human Rights Council in the report Visit to Iraq: Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, published on 13 May, what discussions they intend to have with the government of Iraq about (1) adopting"a comprehensive legal and policy framework to address the situation of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, many of whom remain in displacement, including by providing reparation through a comprehensive, inclusive and survivor centred reparation programme and expanding the proposed Yazidi reparations law and survivors’ grants" and (2) undertaking "comprehensive dialogue with communities affected by ISIL atrocities, in particular ethnic and religious minorities, to establish transitional justice mechanisms, to seek the truth about violations and to provide reparation, rebuilding trust between the population and the State and providing institutional guarantees of non-repetition".

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK is committed to championing wider restorative justice efforts for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and holding perpetrators to account. The UK has provided significant support to survivors of sexual violence in Iraq. Our Embassy in Baghdad has regular discussions with the Government of Iraq and the UN Investigative Team for the Accountability of Daesh (UNITAD), encouraging close co-operation between them to achieve justice for the victims of Daesh's crimes in Iraq. We welcome the fact that UNITAD is expanding its engagement with witnesses, survivors and impacted communities.We are supporting the development of inclusive and representative reconciliation processes, involving Yazidis and other minorities who faced appalling suffering under Daesh, at both national and community levels in Iraq. We also remain committed to supporting Iraq to prevent Daesh resurgence, as the Foreign Secretary reaffirmed to new Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein on 25 June.

Iran: Prisoners

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussionsthey have had with the government of Iran about the release of (1) Nazanin Zaghari-Radcliffe, (2) Anoosheh Ashoori, and (3) British-Iranian nationals held in that country.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government remains concerned about the welfare of British-Iranian dual nationals detained in Iran, including Nazanin Zaghari-Radcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori. Iran does not recognise dual nationality and therefore does not permit access to British-Iranian detainees.We continue to urge the Iranian Government to immediately release all UK dual nationals arbitrarily detained in Iran - to enable them to return to their families in the UK.We continue to raise their cases at the most senior levels, and discuss them at every opportunity with our Iranian counterparts. Our Ambassador in Tehran consistently raises all of our dual national detainees with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Our Embassy in Tehran continues to request consular access to our detained dual nationals, and we have been supporting their families since being made aware of their detentions.

Yemen: Peace Negotiations

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with international partners about securing a permanent ceasefire in Yemen.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK continues to support the efforts of the UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths to secure the parties' agreement to proposals for a nationwide ceasefire and resumption of the UN-led political process. We engage regularly with international partners on Yemen, including through our role as penholder in the UN Security Council. On 1 July, the Foreign Secretary wrote a joint op-ed with his Swedish and German counterparts calling for the international community to back peace efforts. On 18 June, the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa spoke with senior Yemeni leaders and the Special Envoy during a "virtual visit" and called for urgent action to secure peace and avoid a humanitarian catastrophe.

Iran: Arms Trade

lord turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to encouragethe United Nations to renew the sanctions on Iran when they are due for review in October.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK remains committed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), a reciprocal deal that lifts sanctions in exchange for tough nuclear limits. Iran has broken the nuclear limits in the JCPoA and we are working to bring Iran back into compliance through the deal's Dispute Resolution Mechanism.UNSCR 2231, which underpins the JCPoA, includes a number of clauses designed to allow sanctions to expire on fixed dates: the UN travel ban and the UN conventional arms embargo are due to expire in October 2020. E3 Foreign Ministers made clear on 19 June that the planned expiry of the UN conventional arms embargo would have major implications for regional security and stability. We share concerns about Iranian proliferation, and have repeatedly set out concerns about Iranian destabilising behaviour. We are working closely with remaining JCPoA parties to address these issues, as well as with other members of the UN Security Council.There are also other sanctions regimes which restrict Iranian ability to proliferate weapons in the region that will remain in place after the arms embargo expire. These include UNSCRs 1540, 1701 and 2216, which prohibit the proliferation of weapons to Lebanese Hizballah and the Houthis. The EU arms embargo and UN ballistic missile restrictions on Iran will also remain in place until 2023. There is an independent EU Iran human rights sanctions regime, which places trade restrictions on specified goods and technology which may be used to repress the civilian population of Iran and on specified goods and technology which may be used for interception and monitoring services in Iran. These EU trade restrictions do not have an expiry date.

Su Zhimin

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of the death of Bishop James Su Zhimin of Baoding following his arrest and disappearanceinChina in 2003.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are aware of the reports of the death of Bishop James Su Zhimin. We remain concerned by restrictions placed on Christians and other religious groups in China, including reports of individuals being detained for their beliefs. The freedom to practice, change or share ones faith or belief without discrimination or violent opposition is a human right that all people should enjoy.

Iran: Nuclear Power

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of thecauses of the incident at the Natanz nuclear facility in Iran on 2 July.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Following an explosion on 2 July in a building at the Natanz facility, Iran's Supreme National Security Council said they knew the cause but due to "security concerns" further details would be released at an "appropriate time". We will continue to monitor Iran's response to this explosion. The IAEA have confirmed that the location where the incident occurred did not contain nuclear materials.

Department of Health and Social Care

Protective Clothing: Coronavirus

lord mawson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to resolve the reported disruption to deliveries of personal protective equipment to the UK; and by what date they expect such disruptions to have been resolved.

lord bethell: The Government has brought together the National Health Service, industry and the armed forces to create a personal protective equipment (PPE) distribution network, delivering critical PPE supplies to those who need it.We are doing everything we can on every front on the international procurement of medical supplies. There is a joint unit within the Department for International Trade and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that uses our extensive overseas networks and United Kingdom-based expertise to coordinate international procurement of medical and other critical supplies.There is a 24-hour helpline that allows National Health Service and social care providers to request emergency drops of PPE to meet immediate need.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statistics published by the Data Analysis Bureau that 15 per cent of 12,407 care home workers from 650 care homes across England, Wales and Scotland have been tested for COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, and that 6 per cent of those tested were tested between 20 and 27 May.

lord bethell: Test kits have been offered to every care home for over-65s or those with dementia in England, reaching the testing target for 6 June. All remaining adult care homes are eligible to access testing through the whole care home portal. We have the capacity to send out over 50,000 test kits a day.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for mass media campaigns on COVID-19 guidance to target (1) adults aged 60 and over, (2) those designated as clinically vulnerable, and (3) those designated as clinically extremely vulnerable.

lord bethell: At present, there are media campaigns using television, print, radio, and digital that target adults over the age of 65. There are not currently any plans for media campaigns targeted towards the clinically vulnerable and extremely clinically vulnerable. There is guidance available for these groups online at GOV.UK and this guidance has been promoted online through the National Health Service and Every Mind Matters sites. The impact of communications is constantly monitored and optimised on a regular basis.

Coronavirus: Screening

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many postal COVID-19 tests have been returned to laboratories for each day since the scheme began; and (1) how many, and (2) what percentage of, the tests administered by post have been discounted because swabbed material was not effectively collected.

lord bethell: As of 16 June, 3% of home test kits have been returned void. We continue to work with our partners to ensure home testing kits are of the highest standard, user friendly and easy to return back for processing.

Cheltenham Hospital: Accident and Emergency Departments

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what basis the decision was taken to temporarily close Cheltenham General Hospital's Accident and Emergency department; and when this temporary closure will be reviewed.

lord bethell: On 2 June 2020 the Board of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust gave its support to temporary service changes, proposed by its clinical teams, as part of the next phase of its pandemic response. The changes separate COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 services, as much as possible, in order to minimise the risk of transmission of the virus to patients and staff. As a result, Cheltenham General Hospital’s accident and emergency department will operate as a minor injuries and illness unit, operating 8am to 8pm. The changes will be reviewed on a three-monthly basis.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

lord campbell-savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government to what extent the 'R' rate for COVID-19 includes an assessment of the number of people who self-treat at home with no hospital or emergency services intervention.

lord bethell: R is estimated by a number of independent modelling groups based at universities and Public Health England. Evidence from the different models is considered, discussed, combined, and then a consensus estimate is presented to the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies as a range.Individual modelling groups use a variety of different data sources to estimate R. This includes epidemiological data such as the number of hospital admissions and deaths, and surveys that gather information on the behaviour of individuals. The models include assumptions about numbers of individuals who require no health service intervention which are informed by a range of studies including household infection surveys.

Contact Tracing: Coronavirus

lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the advice by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies that delays over 72 hours in contacting individuals who have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 will have a detrimental effect on the 'R' value for COVID-19, what steps they are taking to ensure that all such individuals are traced within 72 hours.

lord bethell: The Government launched its NHS Test and Trace service on 28 May 2020 to control the rate of reproduction (R), reduce the spread of the virus and save lives.The contact tracing process starts as soon as NHS Test and Trace receive notification that someone has tested positive for COVID-19. We are reaching the close contacts of thousands of positive cases and we are encouraged by the progress so far and user feedback.NHS Test and Trace statistics published on 9 July show that since 28 May 90.3% (17,322) of people who tested positive for COVID-19 were successfully reached and asked to provide details about close contacts within 48 hours (for non-complex cases only). Additionally, 83.4% (22,574) of people identified as recent close contacts were reached and advised to self-isolate within 24 hours of being identified (for non-complex cases only).Currently we only have timings for each part of the process rather than the end to end journey, so we can say how many people received test results within 24 hours, how many people who tested positive were reached within 24 hours (for non-complex cases only) and how many people who were identified as contacts were reached within 24 hours (for non-complex cases only).

Technology: Coronavirus

lord freyberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they haveto competitively tender for future technology products and services that were commissioned during the first stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

lord bethell: The Department and its agencies have always secured digital and technology products and services in accordance with the requirements of United Kingdom procurement laws and will continue to do so; in responding quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has made direct awards where permitted under regulation 32 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

Diabetes: Coronavirus

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the number of diabetic patients whose eyesight may be damaged due to delayed care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

lord bethell: NHS England and NHS Improvement have put extra measures in place during the COVID-19 pandemic so that people living with diabetes can continue to receive care. Diabetic Eye Screening (DES) services have not been paused during the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the availability of screening facilities, and in some cases the need to redeploy staff, has led to rescheduling of DES appointments.DES providers are now working to restore full screening services, prioritising those most at risk of sight loss, followed by those who attended their last screening invitation and for whom there were no signs of eye damage.

Food: Safety

lord rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of research conducted by the University of Southampton into foodborne pathogens and the effect of chlorine washing of salad products and meat, in particular the study Viable but nonculturable Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica Thompson induced by chlorine stress remain infectious, published on 18 April 2018.

lord bethell: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has advised that it is aware of this research. The FSA’s view is that whilst it is plausible that viable but nonculturable cells could potentially cause foodborne disease, to date there is no documented evidence that demonstrates this occurs in the food chain. There remains a high level of uncertainty over the likelihood of occurrence and conditions that would be needed for this to happen but the FSA will continue to review the literature and monitor the latest developments on the topic.

Drinks: Sugar

baroness bennett of manor castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of warning labels on sugary drinks including on (1) carbonated soft drinks, (2) fruit-flavoured drinks and, (3) energy drinks.

baroness bennett of manor castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to limit (1) the size of servings of obesogenic drinks such as carbonated soft drinks, fruit juice, fruit-flavoured drinks and energy drinks, and (2) promotions encouraging customers to "size-up" servings at low cost.

baroness bennett of manor castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to require restaurants and takeaways to include on their menus (1) calorific information about each dish or item, and (2) information about the number of servings of fruits and vegetables contained in each dish or item, including when this figure is zero.

lord bethell: To ensure United Kingdom labelling remains effective for consumers, we will consider a range of measures to build on the success of our current ‘traffic light’ nutritional labelling scheme.All sectors of the drinks industry have been challenged to reduce sugar levels in juice-based drinks by 5% by 2021. The reductions can be achieved through reducing the number of calories and/or portion size of products and shifting consumer purchasing towards lower or no added sugar products.Public Health England oversees the voluntary sugar reduction and wider reformulation programme on behalf of the Government, as set out in all chapters of the childhood obesity plan and the 2019 Prevention Green Paper. We have seen some important successes including the average sugar content of drinks subject to the soft drinks industry levy decreasing by 28% between 2015 and 2018.We will be setting out our responses to the consultations on restricting promotions of products high in fat, sugar and salt by location and by price, and calorie labelling in the out-of-home sector as soon as we can.

Influenza: Research

lord campbell-savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the studies published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the University of Sydney andChina Agricultural University on the G4 influenza virus.

lord bethell: The article Prevalent Eurasian avian-like H1N1 swine influenza virus with 2009 pandemic viral genes facilitating human infection published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on 29 June 2020 describes a surveillance study of pigs in slaughterhouses and a veterinary hospital in China carried out between 2011 and 2018.Of the 30,934 samples from 10 different provinces, 165 tested positive for the Eurasian-avian (EA) like H1N1 swine influenza. Of those testing positive, 77 were selected for genetic sequencing, and 29 were identified as having the Genotype 4, described by the authors. The use of a ferret model indicated that the Genotype 4 virus can infect and transmit.A serological study (analysis of antibodies in the blood) of farm workers on 15 farms over the period of the study, suggests that approximately 10-12% of farm workers had detectable, specific antibody to G4 H1N1 viruses, indicative of previous infection. The publication is not clear if these were farms that were directly related to the surveillance programme. It would also not be possible to determine when these infections occurred.The New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group is reviewing the risk associated with the genotype 4 (G4) reassortant Eurasian avian-like (EA) H1N1 virus, described in this publication.

Influenza: Disease Control

lord campbell-savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are monitoring (1) the prevalence, and (2) the pandemic potential, of the G4 influenza virus.

lord bethell: We continually assess the most significant threats that the United Kingdom and its citizens could face, including natural hazard risks such as a pandemic influenza.The Government continues to review and improve surveillance for potentially zoonotic and new and emerging infections, with early detection through horizon scanning and epidemic intelligence activities, research, and continually improving diagnostic techniques for the identification of zoonotic pathogens.In line with our standard practice, Public Health England is undertaking a risk assessment of the G4 influenza virus and we will take any appropriate action based on robust scientific and clinical advice.

In Vitro Fertilisation

baroness deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority Fertility treatment 2018: trends and figures, published on 30 June,whichreported that "since 2013, the number of egg and embryo storage cycles increased fivefold to just under 9,000 cycles in 2018",what plans theyhave to expedite legislation to remove the 10-year timelimit for which frozen eggs and embryos can be stored.

lord bethell: The Government ran a public consultation between 11 February and 5 May 2020, seeking views about changing the statutory storage limits for embryos and gametes. The Department is currently analysing responses. We intend to publish a Government response to the consultation later this year, which will our outline our plans.In the meantime, the Government has given a two-year extension to all those with embryos and gametes in storage, who have been affected by delays to treatment caused by the response to COVID-19. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Statutory Storage Period for Embryos and Gametes) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020 were laid on 3 June 2020 and cover anyone who has not been able to access treatment as a result of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority temporarily suspending fertility treatment services on 23 March 2020.

Coronavirus: Demonstrations

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there has been any correlation identified between (1) an increase in COVID-19 cases, and (2) the mass demonstrations held in cities in England in June.

lord bethell: Demonstrations in England are reported to have occurred in the first three weeks of June 2020. Some of these demonstrations appear to have been large, reportedly involving hundreds or thousands of people in different locations, including major cities. Public Health England has not performed a specific analysis to investigate the relationship between the demonstrations and the subsequent number of COVID-19 cases; such an analysis would not be possible, since there is no requirement for individuals to report attendance at a demonstration or protest and, therefore, the necessary data would not be available.Since the start of June, the daily number of laboratory-confirmed cases in England has continued to decrease steadily and consistently, from 1,311 cases on 1 June to 386 cases on 28 June.

Coronavirus: Birmingham

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of therequest made by the Director of Public Health for Birmingham City Council for an investigation into a possible link to the Black Lives Matter protests in Birmingham with an increase in COVID-19 cases in that city; and what steps they are taking, if any, to support that investigation.

lord bethell: A specific analysis to investigate the relationship between the demonstrations and the subsequent number of COVID-19 cases would be difficult, since there is no requirement for individuals to report attendance at a demonstration or protest and, therefore, the necessary data would not be available.Following a request by the Director of Public Health for Birmingham to investigate a spike in COVID-19 cases between the 14-16 June and whether this could be related to the Black Lives Matter protests in Birmingham on 4 June, analysis of pillar 1 and pillar 2 test counts in Birmingham by ethnicity throughout June 2020 is being undertaken. The number of confirmed cases in Birmingham continued to decline overall during this period.

Genito-urinary Medicine: Equality

lord black of brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the upcoming National Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy will tackle sexual health inequalities experienced by (1) BAME communities, (2) trans and non-binary, including gender diverse, people, (3) gay and bisexual men and women, and (4) people living in poverty.

lord bethell: The development of the national sexual health and reproductive health strategy was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that we are moving forward with the Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy, work on the strategy will be restarting shortly. We will consider issues around inequalities, tackling stigma and discrimination and other relevant issues as part of the strategy development.

Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Independent Review

baroness bennett of manor castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the findings of the report by the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety ReviewFirst Do No Harm, published on 8 July, what plans they have to appoint an independent patient safety commissioner to monitor the relevant financial interests of medical professionals offering advice or oversight of medicines and medical devices.

lord bethell: We have just received the report by the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, led by Baroness Cumberlege.As we have advised this week, it is now time for us to consider this report and its recommendations carefully.We will consider how this recommendation fits with the structures we already have in place.

Department for Education

Boarding Schools: Coronavirus

baroness gardner of parkes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to give boarding schools greater autonomy to decide how to operate from September 2020.

baroness berridge: The Department has published guidance to support all schools as they prepare for the return of all pupils from the beginning of the autumn term: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.The guidance provides schools with advice about how to minimise the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in schools. It also sets out how the department expects schools to operate, and where there is flexibility. For boarding schools the guidance encourages schools to keep children in their class groups, but also allows for the mixing of pupils in different groups residentially and during the school day.Boarding schools will still need to meet the national minimum standards to safeguard and protect the children in their care and those that are independent schools will need to comply with the independent school standards.

Training: Coronavirus

the earl of shrewsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide financial support to training and skills providersto ensure the provision of suitable resources to train, re-train and upskill those whose employment has been affected by COVID-19.

baroness berridge: We will continue to pay grant funded providers their scheduled monthly profiled payments for the remainder of the 2019/20 funding year and funding allocations for 2020/21 have been confirmed. Payments will be made in line with the national profile. We have also invested £100 million to develop a National Retraining Scheme to support working adults prepare for future changes to the economy and to help them retrain into better jobs, and have committed £2.5 billion for a National Skills Fund over the course of this Parliament, which will support people to learn new skills and prepare for the economy of the future.We are introducing new T levels from this September – high quality, practical courses designed by employers that will provide a credible alternative to A levels and prepare students for skilled work or further study. We are currently reforming and simplifying the qualifications system so that learners can easily find high-quality qualifications that give them the skills they need. With our proposals, any qualification, including existing ones, can be approved if they provide learners with the knowledge, skills and behaviours that employers need. We have also been working across government to build a package of support measures to boost skills among those who will be hardest hit by the labour market impacts of COVID-19. On 8 July my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced measures across a range of targeted work-based training offers to support people to build the skills they need to get into work. This amounts to investment of £1.6 billion in employment support schemes which will substantially expand existing provision. This includes:£111 million to triple the number of traineeships.£17 million to triple the number of sector-based work academy placements.Paying businesses to take on new apprentices – an extra £2,000 for each apprentice under 25 and £1,500 for apprentices over 25.£32 million to help 269,000 more people receive advice from the National Careers Service.£101 million for school/college leavers to study high value courses when there are not employment opportunities available to them.

Universities: Finance

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to support any UK universitywhich faces financial failure.

lord parkinson of whitley bay: The government understands that the COVID-19 outbreak poses significant financial challenges to the sector. In May 2020, the government announced a package of measures combining different ways to give further support to higher education providers at this time of financial pressure.We have stabilised admissions and are pulling forward an estimated £2.6 billion worth of forecast tuition fee payments to ease cashflow pressure this autumn. We are also bringing forward £100 million of quality-related research funding for higher education providers in England in the current academic year.This is on top of the unprecedented package of support for businesses already announced, to help pay wages, keep staff employed and support businesses whose viability is threatened by the outbreak. We recently confirmed universities’ eligibility for these schemes, which the Office for Students estimates could be worth at least £700 million, depending upon eligibility and take-up.In June, the government announced further UK- wide support in the form of the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy’s research stabilisation package. More details are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-for-university-research-and-innovation-during-coronavirus-covid-19.In July, the government announced the higher education restructuring regime, under which support for restructuring can be given, as a last resort, when other steps to preserve a provider’s viability and sustainability have not proved sufficient. More details are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-restructuring-regime.To prevent exploitative admissions processes, the Office for Students introduced a temporary registration condition designed to address specific circumstances relating to the impact of COVID-19. To ensure a fair, structured distribution of students across providers, temporary student number controls have been put in place for full-time, undergraduate domestic and EU students for academic year 2020-21 (with certain specific exemptions).We are reminding providers, as part of existing programmes and using established procedures, that the department will consider purchasing land and buildings where they can be used for new or expanding schools and colleges in England. In this financial year, we have budgeted up to £100 million to acquire sites for planned projects in England.The government has been clear that our world-leading universities will always be open to international students. Our review of the International Education Strategy this autumn will respond to the new context and the challenges posed by COVID-19 across all education settings to ensure we can continue to welcome international students in the future.The government has worked with the Office for Students to help clarify that providers can draw upon existing funding to provide hardship funds and support disadvantaged students affected by COVID-19. Providers are able to use the funding – worth around £23 million per month for July, August and September – towards student hardship funds.The Department for Education and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have set up a University Research and Knowledge Exchange Sustainability Taskforce to consider how best to respond to the challenges universities face on research as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Infrastructure: Skilled Workers

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the skills shortage in the UK for the infrastructure projects announced by the Prime Minister on 30 June.

baroness berridge: The Employer Skills Survey 2019 gathered labour market intelligence on employer skills needs and training activity among employers across all sectors in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. It is the fifth in the biennial series of Employer Skills Surveys dating back to 2011. Previous findings are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employer-skills-survey-2017-uk-report. Findings from the 2019 survey will be published alongside these on GOV.UK in due course. The survey collects information from employers relating to difficulties they have had filling vacancies as a result of skills shortages in applicants, along with information on relevant skills lacking in existing staff. This allows a targeted examination of more detailed skills requirements for specific sectors. In addition, to assess skills gaps in the future we are setting up The Skills and Productivity Board, which will bring together leading experts to offer independent analysis and identify new and emerging skills needs. The Construction Industry Training Board are delivering a skills stability plan to ensure that the construction sector continues to focus on training and skills following the COVID-19 outbreak.

Education: Travellers

baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their expected timetable for implementing the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers’ recommendation of 1 July that the governments of Member States should include Roma and Travellers’ history in school curricula and teaching materials.

baroness berridge: The history curriculum gives teachers and schools the freedom to use specific examples from history to teach pupils about the history of Britain and the wider world.Gypsy, Roma and Travellers’ history can already be taught as part of schools offering a broad and balanced curriculum. Resources are available from experts in the communities themselves and bodies such as the Historical Association. As part of Holocaust education, a wide array of resources are available to help teachers explain the persecution by the Nazis of different groups of people. The Holocaust Educational Trust’s Lessons from Auschwitz programme and the knowledge and training provided by the Centre for Holocaust Education include information and resources to support an understanding of the Holocaust and the Nazi’s persecution of other non-Jewish groups including the genocide of the Roma.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners' Release: Older People

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the End of Custody Temporary Release scheme in prisons in England and Wales, in particular to allow for the release of elderly prisoners.

lord keen of elie: On 4 April, the government announced the End of Custody Temporary Release scheme (ECTR). This scheme enables risk-assessed prisoners, who are within two months of their release date, to be temporarily released from custody, as part of the national approach to managing public services during the pandemic. The government does not plan to extend the scheme.

Prisons: Staff

lord ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to launch (1) a whistleblowing hotline for prison staff, and (2) a campaign for such staff to raise awareness of their rights.

lord keen of elie: We recognise the importance of the physical, emotional and social wellbeing of employees is paramount; particularly during these difficult times. Whistleblowing procedures are already in place for staff who wish to raise any concerns, including a Reporting Wrongdoing Integrity Hotline. This allows HM Prison and Probation staff to raise any concerns they may have. Relevant guidance for employees and managers is available through the intranet and the ‘My Hub’ service. HMPPS is currently reviewing and updating its whistleblowing policy, which we aim to publish later this year, following consultation with the trade unions.We are also taking action to address unacceptable behaviours within HMPPS. In the coming months and will be putting in place a dedicated Unit to support our objective of reducing discrimination, bullying and harassment. This will include a phone line to provide advice and guidance.Staff have access to a range of easily accessible services should they have concerns about the workplace or their own well-being. We constantly monitor these services to ensure they meet the needs of staff with such concerns.

Solicitors: Disciplinary Proceedings

lord mann: To ask Her Majesty's Government which solicitors were (1) fined, (2) struck off, and (3) received other disciplinary action from the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal,for charging coalminers out of the compensation scheme for (a) vibration white finger, and (b) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. [T]

lord keen of elie: The Government does not hold the information requested. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal is an independent Tribunal established under the Solicitors Act 1974.

Treasury

Electric Vehicles: VAT

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any,to extend the reduction in VAT announced on 8 Julyto the purchase of electric vehicles.

lord agnew of oulton: VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the standard rate of 20 per cent applies to most goods and services. As was acknowledged at Budget 2020, VAT makes a significant contribution towards the public finances and helps fund the Government's spending priorities including health, schools, and defence.Although the Government keeps all taxes under review, there are no plans to change the VAT treatment of electric vehicles at present.

Business: Coronavirus

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to shorten the response time for calls to theCOVID-19 helpline for businesses and the self-employed.

lord agnew of oulton: HMRC continue to prioritise COVID-19 schemes. Following Government guidelines, HMRC have reduced their telephony service times to ensure staff safety and to provide greater flexibility with available resource. HMRC have increased the level of availability on their webchat service and provided staff working from home with the technology to answer calls from home. HMRC continue to monitor all call volumes to ensure they have the available resource with the appropriate expertise to meet demand.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Refuges: Coronavirus

baroness helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government what specific steps they took to provide additional support for domestic violence shelters during the period when restrictions were in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

lord greenhalgh: The Government has made £10 million available specifically for domestic abuse charitable safe accommodation providers, including refuges, in support of this critical provision during the COVID-19 outbreak.To date, £8.76 million of this funding has already been allocated to 122 successful charity bids across the country, providing almost 1,600 bedspaces.Additionally, Government issued guidance to domestic abuse safe accommodation providers in support of their service delivery during these unprecedented times. It ensured front-line domestic abuse support workers were included in the key workers list, and that domestic abuse refuges are included in the Local Resilience Forums list to enable them to request urgent PPE supplies.

Local Government: Coronavirus

baroness eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of local government in supportingthe Government's jobs and skills recovery plan following the COVID-19pandemic.

lord greenhalgh: On 8th July the Chancellor announced measures across a range of targeted work-based training offers to support people to build the skills they need to get into work. This amounts to investment of £1.6 billion in employment support schemes, which will substantially expand existing provision. This includes £111 million to triple traineeships for 16-24 year olds will help more young people gain the skills to progress to apprenticeships, further education and other employment. We are providing employers with £2,000 for each young person they hire as an apprentice and offering £1,500 for each new apprentice hired aged over 25. We are also providing £101 million for school and college leavers to study high value Level 2 and 3 courses when there are not employment opportunities available to them, providing funding of £17 million to almost triple the number of Sector-Based Work Academy placements, and giving the National Careers Service an extra £32 million funding so it can provide careers advice to 269,000 more customers.Through our Plan for Jobs we have set out how we will support people to stay in and access good jobs as we drive forward our recovery. This includes investing £2 billion to directly support hundreds of thousands of young people through the Kickstart Scheme which will provide fully subsidised jobs for young people across the country.As part of raising the participation age legislation local authorities have duties to track all academic age 16 and 17 year olds, identify those not in education, employment or training or at risk of becoming so and supporting them to re-engage in education or training. This includes a September guarantee where local authorities need to ensure that all year 11 students and year 12 students on a one year course have a suitable offer of education or training for the following September. We are working closely with local authorities to support these duties and monitor September guarantee offers.Across these areas the government recognises the need to work closely with local government to support these various interventions and is proactively taking forward conversations with local government on delivery of these programmes.

Ministry of Defence

Conflict Resolution: Females

lord tunnicliffe: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the Ministry of Defence has spent on training related to (1) the Women, Peace and Security agenda, and (2) preventing sexual violence initiatives, in (a) 2016, (b) 2017, (c) 2018, (d) 2019, and (e) 2020 to date.

baroness goldie: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) are unable to answer the noble Lord’s question due to the way funding is tracked and division of policy areas. Defence have approached the implementation of UNSCR 1325 in military operations through a combination of dedicated training courses and specific modules added to existing training. In support of the UK National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2018 – 2022, the MOD have issued a Joint Service Publication 1325; ‘Human Security in Military Operations’ supported by a two-week Human security Advisers Course. This provides an advanced understanding of Defence’s role in the prevention of sexual violence in conflict through; gendered approaches to planning and operations, appropriate response to survivors, and reporting mechanisms. Tailored modules have also been embedded to routine training for; deploying peacekeepers, overseas capacity building for troop contributing countries, military planners, policy advisers, Defence Attachés and headquarters and units across the Royal Navy, the Army and the RAF at home and overseas.

Department for Work and Pensions

Disability: Coronavirus

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Oxford University Disability Law and Policy Project and the Bonavero Institute of Human RightsAn Affront to Dignity, Inclusion and Equality, published on 2 July, in particularitsrecommendations (1)that all legislation passed during the COVID-19 pandemic should be reviewed to ensure that theduties under the Equality Act 2010 and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities are met, and (2) thata COVID-19 disability inclusive response and recovery group should be established to ensure that disabled people are central in the decision making relating to economic and social recovery following the pandemic.

baroness stedman-scott: The Government notes the recommendations in the report by Oxford University on “An Affront to Dignity, Inclusion and Equality”. The Cabinet Office Disability Unit continues to work with disability stakeholders and across Government Departments to ensure that the needs of disabled people are considered in the UK Government’s response to COVID-19. We are clear that consideration of equality impacts must be integral in all key policy decisions. All equality and discrimination laws and obligations continue to apply during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government remains committed to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and to the progressive realisation of the rights for disabled people that it sets out. The National Strategy for Disabled People is a key manifesto commitment for this Government and its delivery remains important for ministers, including No. 10. Its significance is even greater, as we re-build the UK’s economy and society following the COVID-19 pandemic. We are now focusing on meaningful engagement with stakeholders, strengthening our evidence base and keeping momentum to deliver the high ambition strategy that the Prime Minister has called for.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture: Employment

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure an adequate supply of labour on farms in (1) England, (2) Northern Ireland, (3) Wales, and (4) Scotland.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Seasonal Workers Pilot is providing thousands of non-EU workers to farms across the UK this year. Immigration is a reserved matter and the Seasonal Workers Pilot is a nationwide pilot, with a nationwide quota. The Government has placed a specific duty on the operators to ensure that all regions of the UK benefit from this pilot. While restrictions due to COVID-19 initially delayed the arrival of some Pilot workers, Defra and the Home Office worked closely with Pilot operators to enable workers to reach the UK. The Visa Application Centres in Ukraine and Belarus, which were temporarily closed due to COVID-19 restrictions, reopened on 1 June. This allowed significant numbers of Pilot workers from those countries to obtain a visa and travel to the UK. We are aware of the wider impact that restrictions on travel from other countries, as a result of COVID-19, has had on the number of seasonal workers coming to work in the UK. We are working closely with industry and government officials in Scotland and Wales to help our world-leading farmers and growers access the labour they need over the busy harvest months. All are supportive of the joint Defra and industry ‘Pick for Britain’ campaign and website, aimed at driving awareness of seasonal roles on farms. We understand that for England the demand for seasonal workers is currently being met, and we are closely monitoring the situation throughout the rest of the summer. Defra discussed with officials at DAERA the plans for the Pick for Britain website and their thoughts on a future public -acing campaign to attract more seasonal workers from the UK. The feedback received was that DAERA was working closely with industry representatives in Northern Ireland and would use the existing Department for Communities website – JobCentre Online (JCOL) to advertise local opportunities. The website also provided a link to the Pick for Britain initiative.

Animal Welfare

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatplans they have to bring forward legislative proposals on animal sentience.

lord goldsmith of richmond park: The Government is committed to further strengthening our world-leading animal welfare standards. We have committed to bringing in new laws on animal sentience. Any necessary changes required to domestic legislation will be made in a rigorous and comprehensive way and will be brought forward when parliamentary time allows. Additionally, we have committed to ending excessively long journeys for slaughter and fattening and to banning the keeping of primates as pets. The Government is supporting the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill. This will increase the maximum custodial penalty for animal cruelty from six months' imprisonment to five years' imprisonment. The new maximum penalty of five years is in line with campaigns by key stakeholders such as Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, Dogs Trust and the RSPCA. This is a positive step forward in improving animal welfare. and will act as a serious deterrent against cruelty and neglect. It will provide one of the toughest sanctions in Europe, strengthening the UK's position as a global leader on animal welfare.

Floods: Coronavirus

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessmentthey havemade of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdown measures on communities that are recovering from the 2019–20 winter floods.

lord goldsmith of richmond park: The Government recognises the impact of COVID-19 on flood-affected householders and businesses and sympathises with those affected.Flood recovery is a devolved matter and in England the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is the lead Government department for recovery.In response to the flood events of 2019 and 2020, the Government activated the Flood Recovery Framework in England. This framework aims to help people get back on their feet as quickly as possible.This framework includes the Community Recovery Grant, a one-off £500 hardship grant, available to eligible flooded households and businesses. Those households are also able to receive a 100% council tax rebate (for a minimum of three months); rebates will apply to the flooded property and any temporary accommodation those households are required to move into.In addition to the core framework led by MHCLG, Defra leads on two recovery schemes: the Property Flood Resilience Scheme and the Farming Recovery Fund. The Property Flood Resilience fund enables eligible flood-affected properties to receive up to £5,000 to improve their resilience to future flooding. Both the November 2019 and February 2020 schemes remain open despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Defra officials are working closely with local authorities to monitor the situation and provide support if necessary.The Farming Recovery Fund was opened to support the recovery from the June and July 2019 floods in North Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. This was extended to cover the further flooding in parts of South Yorkshire, Gloucestershire and the Midlands in November 2019. The Farming Recovery Fund was subsequently further extended to support recovery for farmers most seriously affected by flooding in February 2020 to parts of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire and North and East Yorkshire. Delivery is unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic.Officials are also in close contact with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) to understand the progress insurers are making within the recovery process in light of COVID-19. In general, insurers are stepping up their use of technology to work around the need to be in properties in person. They have access to the required protective equipment where needed, and suitable accommodation is being found where required. The ABI has been active in providing customers with regular updates and keeping officials informed of the progress on the ground.Last week the Government published its long-term plan to tackle the risks of flooding and coastal erosion. The plans include £200 million for innovative projects such as sustainable drainage systems and nature-based solutions like temporary or permanent water storage areas which also boost wildlife. These will support 25 areas at risk of flooding to test and demonstrate innovative actions to adapt to a changing climate and improve their resilience.In addition, up to £170 million will be spent to accelerate work on shovel-ready flood defence schemes that will begin construction in 2020 or 2021. 22 areas across the country will benefit from this immediate boost to jobs supporting the local economy as communities recover from the impact of coronavirus.The Environment Agency (EA) has carried out approximately 20,000 post-incident inspections following the flooding events in November 2019 and February 2020. These inspections are now complete and the results have been used to plan projects for the EA’s recovery programme that will deliver asset repairs. Government provided £120 million of funding at the Budget in March to repair assets damaged in this winter’s floods, and it is expected that all assets will be restored by the end of October 2020, or the EA will have sufficient temporary measures in place to mitigate risks to communities while works complete over winter.

Environment Protection: Treaties

the earl of caithness: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money they have spent in each financial year since 2015 to support the development and implementation of (1) theConvention on Biological Diversity, (2) the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, (3) the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, (4) the Ramsar Convention, (5) the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, (6) the African–Eurasian Waterbird Agreement, (7) the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, (8) the Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, and (9) the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services; and for each such agreement and body, how much of that money was (a) a voluntary, and (b) a mandatory, contribution.

the earl of caithness: To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) strategies, and (2) resources, they have (a) put, or (b) are putting, in place to ensure that the UK continues (i) to benefit from, and (ii) to engage with, biodiversity-related multilateral environmental agreements following the UK's departure from the EU.

the earl of caithness: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much staff resource from the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs in each financial year since 2015 has been used to support the development and implementation of (1) the Convention on Biological Diversity, (2) the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, (3) the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, (4) the Ramsar Convention, (5) the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, (6) the African–Eurasian Waterbird Agreement, (7) the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, (8) the Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, and (9) the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

lord goldsmith of richmond park: The information requested on money spent and staff resources to support development and implementation of the listed agreements and bodies is not held centrally. Compiling it would be a complex exercise incurring disproportionate costs. We have therefore provided the information that is readily available below. As a Party or Member of these Conventions, Agreements and Bodies, the UK is required to make financial contributions to support their development and implementation. Details of the mandatory and voluntary financial contributions made will be publicly available in their financial records. The UK’s mandatory contributions to the conventions and bodies listed amount to more than £18 million since 2015[1]. The UK also implements these agreements through financing a large number of cross-cutting programmes and activities. One example is the world-renowned Darwin Initiative which delivers on multiple international commitments and on the UK’s wider ambitions for the protection of global biodiversity. The Darwin Initiative has committed £57 million since 2015. Staff resources are in place to work directly on UK input to the listed agreements and organisations and also on programmes to implement them. Given the cyclical timetable of the global meetings of the Conventions and Agreements and the changing nature of the topics which they cover, staff resources are adjusted over time to ensure the UK is able to participate effectively in them. For this reason, it is difficult to accurately quantify the staff resources that have been involved since 2015. The UK Government is fully committed to putting nature at the heart of our plans for tackling the interlinked global crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. Our departure from the EU presents an important opportunity for the UK to play a stronger global role and in some areas this will require additional resource. Efforts are underway to make sure that resources are available in order that we seize these opportunities, starting with securing an ambitious set of post-2020 global biodiversity targets at CBD COP15 and successful hosting of COP-26. [1] Based on current exchange rates. Some subscriptions are paid in non-sterling currencies.

Flood Control: Yorkshire and the Humber

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plansthey have to hold the summit on flooding to put in place defensive measures in Yorkshire, announced in response to the November 2019 floods.

lord goldsmith of richmond park: The Government recognises the impact that flooding has had on individuals and local communities and sympathises with all those affected. Following the November flooding, the Government worked quickly to respond and activated the Government Flood Recovery Framework and Property Flood Resilience grants to aid people in getting back on their feet as quickly as possible. Last week the Government published its long-term plan to tackle the risks of flooding and coastal erosion. The plans include £200 million for innovative projects such as sustainable drainage systems and nature-based solutions like temporary or permanent water storage areas which also boost wildlife. These will support 25 areas at risk of flooding to test and demonstrate innovative actions to adapt to a changing climate and improve their resilience. In addition, up to £170 million will be spent to accelerate work on shovel-ready flood defence schemes that will begin construction in 2020 or 2021. 22 areas across the country will benefit from this immediate boost to jobs supporting the local economy as communities recover from the impact of coronavirus. Up to approximately £50 million of this funding will be invested in Yorkshire to bring forward flood schemes in Leeds, Sheffield and Hebden Bridge. We are continuing to work on preparations for a focused roundtable with Yorkshire MPs, and other stakeholders, which Defra will host. Officials were working to identify a date before the Covid-19 restrictions came into effect. We are seeking to make alternative arrangements.

Flood Control

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of any improvements required to protect communities from flash flooding and more frequent flooding events.

lord goldsmith of richmond park: The UK Climate Projections 2018 (UKCP18) provide crucial information about how we can expect our climate to change over future decades. More intense rainfall, more extreme weather and wetter winters are projected to increase the threat of damage and disruption as a result of all types of flooding. The Government is investing £1.2 billion for a state-of-the-art supercomputer to improve severe weather and climate forecasting which will help to predict storms more accurately and select the most appropriate locations for flood defences. Forecasting improvements will also help to predict better the likelihood of rain that might lead to flooding from surface water. We have committed to double the amount we invest in the flood and coastal defence programme in England to £5.2 billion over six years, better protecting 336,000 homes and non-residential properties. According to Environment Agency modelling, this will reduce national flood risk by up to 11% by 2027. In April we announced changes to how the Government funding is allocated to flood projects, including the introduction of a new risk category which will enable schemes that prevent surface water flooding to qualify for more funding. In July 2018 the Government published the Surface Water Management Action Plan. This sets out the steps we are taking, with the Environment Agency and others, to manage the risk of surface water flooding. It includes 22 actions both to improve our understanding of the risks and to strengthen delivery. These cover: improving risk assessment and communication; making sure infrastructure is resilient; clarifying responsibilities for surface water management; joining up planning for surface water management; and building local authority capacity. As a result of the Government's Strategic Policy Statement to Ofwat, the 2019 Price Review includes more than £1 billion to reduce the impact of flooding on communities across England and Wales. Last week the Government published its long-term plan to tackle the risks of flooding and coastal erosion. The plans include £200 million for innovative projects such as sustainable drainage systems and nature-based solutions like temporary or permanent water storage areas which also boost wildlife. These will support 25 areas at risk of flooding to test and demonstrate innovative actions to adapt to a changing climate and improve their resilience. In addition, up to £170 million will be spent to accelerate work on shovel-ready flood defence schemes that will begin construction in 2020 or 2021. 22 areas across the country will benefit from this immediate boost to jobs supporting the local economy as communities recover from the impact of coronavirus.

Animals: Antimicrobials

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment have they made of the UK's performance in addressing antimicrobial resistance in animals compared to (1) the 27 Member States of the EU, and (2) other developed economies.

lord gardiner of kimble: There is considerable variation in levels and trends of antimicrobial resistance between the UK and European Member States and other global partners, for example the USA, Canada and Japan. The UK is among those countries which have made most progress in addressing antimicrobial resistance in bacteria from animals in recent years. In terms of comparing antibiotic sales between countries, the latest published data in the European Surveillance of Veterinary Antimicrobial Consumption project, which compared antimicrobial sales data for food producing animals across EEA countries and Switzerland for 2017 (published Oct 2019), shows that in 2017 the UK had the fifth lowest level of antibiotic consumption in food-producing animals (32.5 mg/kg) of the 31 European countries reporting this data (only Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Iceland are lower). This project is available here: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/report/sales-veterinary-antimicrobial-agents-31-european-countries-2017_en.pdf The US, Canada and Japan also publish antibiotic sales data: Canada published an overall sales figure for 2016 of 150mg/kg, which was an 18% reduction on their 2015 sales. USA and Japan do not report in mg/kg but do publish data on tonnes of antibiotic active ingredient used for food producing animals. The USA reported a reduction of 38% between 2015 and 2018 whereas Japan showed an increase of 2.8% between 2013 and 2016. We continue to be committed to working with livestock sectors to reduce inappropriate antibiotic use and have achieved a 53% reduction in sales of antibiotics for food-producing animals between 2013 and 2018. We are also committed to working alongside our global partners to promote data sharing and responsible antibiotic use.

Home Office

LGBTQ People: Hate Crime

lord cashman: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support LGBTQ+ young people who have been victims of (1) transphobic, and (2) racist, abuse.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government has made it clear that all forms of abuse and hatred are unacceptable. The UK has a robust legislative framework to respond to hate crimes, which target race, religion, sexual orientation, disability and transgender identity. The Government published the hate crime action plan (Action Against Hate: The UK Government’s plan for tackling hate crime) in 2016 and refreshed this Plan in October 2018. As part of the 2018 refresh and LGBT Action Plan the same year, the Government committed to a public awareness campaign to address the unacceptability of all hate crimes, and to a Law Commission review of the adequacy of current hate crime legislation. Also, the Home Office has funded multiple projects aimed at tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic hate crime including:Kick It Out, who produced resources to raise awareness of homophobic, biphobic and transphobic abuse in football stadia;Barnardo’s, who worked with schools in East Ridings of Yorkshire to promote understanding of LGBT lives and prevent homophobic, biphobic and transphobic hate crime;Galop, who produced and distributed a series of factsheets and research to understand tackle online homophobic, biphobic and transphobic abuse; andThe Proud Trust who worked with the British Transport Police and rail companies to make public transport safer for LGBT people and encourage the reporting of hate crime. The Government will continue to work with the police, stakeholders including Galop and Stonewall and others to understand the concerns of LGBTQ+ communities and what should be done to address those concerns.

Immigration: EU Nationals

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any new UK–EU arrangements relating to the welfare of immigrants have been put in place since the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

baroness williams of trafford: EEA citizens, and their family members, resident in the UK by 31 December 2020 have until 30 June 2021 to apply for status under the EU Settlement Scheme. Those who obtain this status have secured their rights in UK law and so are able to access benefits and services in the UK on at least the same basis as they were before being granted that status. No-one’s access to benefits is restricted or reduced by virtue of an application to the EU Settlement Scheme.In the future points-based immigration system, EEA citizens coming to the UK will be subject to the same rules as non-EEA citizens, including in relation to access to benefits and services. This includes the same safeguards and exceptions for those in genuine need.

Israel: Visas

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a distinction is made between Israelis who live in Israel and those who live in the Occupied Palestinian Territories when deciding whether Israelis are eligible for the six-month visa waiver to the UK.

baroness williams of trafford: Nationals or citizens of Israel who hold a full Israeli passport do not require a visa to come to the UK as a visitor or for any other purpose, for less than six months. Each applicant is assessed against a set of suitability and eligibility criteria under the Immigration Rules. Applicants are considered on their merits, regardless of where they live.

Police: Israel

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what training British police officers have received from the Israeli police force in (1) the UK, and (2) Israel, in the last five years.

baroness williams of trafford: We are not aware of any British police officers having received training from the Israeli police force, nor the Israeli Defence Force, in the UK or Israel in the last 5 years.

Cabinet Office

Intelligence and Security Committee

lord strasburger: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the members of the Intelligence and Security Committee will be nominated.

lord butler of brockwell: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord True on 29 June (HL5988),what are the current circumstances delaying the reappointment of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament.

lord lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to facilitatethe appointment of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament; and what estimate they have made, if any, of when that Committee will be appointed.

lord true: The Intelligence and Security Committee was reconstituted on 14 July 2020.

Intelligence and Security Committee: Russia

the lord bishop of salisbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord True on 29 June (HL6029) and the remarks by the Home Secretary on 22 June that “appointments to the [Intelligence and Security] Committee are taking place and an announcement will be made in due course on when that will be coming forward” (HC Deb, col 1085), whenthey estimate they will be able to make the announcement about the appointment of the Intelligence and Security Committee; and what steps they are taking to ensure that the Committee is (1) appointed before Parliament adjourns for the summer recess, and (2) able to publish the report Russia, sent to the Prime Minister on 17 October 2019. [T]

lord true: The Intelligence and Security Committee was reconstituted on 14 July 2020.The report is the property of the Committee, not the Government, and it will be up to them to choose when they wish to publish it. I am sure the Committee will take note of the Rt. Reverend Prelate’s interest in the publication of the Report.

Common Purpose: Expenditure

lord maginnis of drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the total sum they have spent buying places on Common Purpose courses during each of the last 20 years; and to detail exactly (1) how, and (2) where, such expenditure is recorded.

lord true: No centrally held record of expenditure on training or learning is maintained covering the entirety of the period specified.Common Purpose is not a provider of training through Civil Service Learning.

National Security Adviser

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the impact of the new National Security Adviser being a political appointee on his ability to carry out the full functions of that role.

lord true: As with previous National Security Advisers, David Frost will be the principal adviser to the Prime Minister and Cabinet on national security strategy, policy, capability and civil contingencies. I refer the noble Lady to the statement I made on 30 June 2020.

Department for International Trade

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration theygave to the actions of the government of Saudi Arabia (1) in that country, and (2) in Yemen, when deciding to resume granting export licences for arms sales to Saudi Arabia; and what assessment they have made of the compatibility of that decision with the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, announced on 6 July.

lord grimstone of boscobel: The Written Ministerial Statement of 7th July 2020 set out the steps that HM Government has taken to comply with the judgment of the Court of Appeal of 20th June 2019 regarding licences for military exports to Saudi Arabia for possible use in the conflict in Yemen. To address the Court of Appeal’s judgment, we have developed a revised methodology in respect of all allegations which it is assessed are likely to have occurred and to have been caused by fixed wing aircraft reflecting the factual circumstances that the court proceedings concerned. To be clear, allegations have been subject to detailed analysis by reference to the relevant principles of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and in the light of information and intelligence available. An evaluation has then been made, in respect of each incident, whether it is possible that it constitutes a breach of IHL or whether it is unlikely that it represents a breach. The Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime is a separate issue entirely though. This new sanctions regime will give the United Kingdom a powerful new tool to hold those individuals involved in serious violations of rights and responsibilities to account.

Trade Agreements: Israel

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the implications ofthe government of Israel’s planned annexation of parts of the West Bank on the UK–Israel trade and partnership agreement, in particular UK preferential imports from Israel; and whether any such implications have been discussed with the government of Israel.

lord grimstone of boscobel: The United Kingdom does not recognise the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including settlements, as part of Israel. For this reason, goods imported from the settlements are not entitled to benefit from trade preferences under the United Kingdom-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement. We will maintain this approach. HM Government has maintained a dialogue with Israel and we will continue to work towards a negotiated two-state solution, using the diplomatic means we have at our disposal.

Arms Trade: Colombia

lord browne of ladyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further tothe killing of human rights defenders in Colombia and recent reports of illegal surveillance by Colombian Military Intelligence on civil society organisations, whether they are reassessing the licensing of UK arms exports, including cryptographic equipment, to Colombia.

lord grimstone of boscobel: There are no extant licences granted for Colombia that may be used for such surveillance. For context, all export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria (the ‘Consolidated Criteria’). In reaching a decision, the Department for International Trade (DIT) receives advice from a number of Departments including the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). Together, we draw on all available information, including reports from Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and our diplomatic missions. The Consolidated Criteria provides a thorough risk assessment framework and requires us to think hard about the impact of exporting any items. Assessments under Criterion 2 in particular include the respect of rights and freedoms in the country of final destination. A licence will not be issued if to do so would be inconsistent with the Consolidated Criteria, including where there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression. Accordingly, we continue to monitor global developments closely and are able to review licences – and suspend or revoke as necessary – when circumstances require, in line with the Consolidated Criteria.

Customs

lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish a response to the questions set out in the reported letter from the Secretary of State for International Trade to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 8 July about the new UK border regime to be introduced from 2021.

lord grimstone of boscobel: As the noble Lord will be aware, HM Government does not comment on leaked documents. However, as set out by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 13 July, we have set out comprehensive guidance on the movement of goods between Great Britain and the EU after the end of the transition period. This Border Operating Model provides clarity and certainty to the border industry and businesses on the core customs processes that all importers and exporters will need to complete, and some additional processes that apply to only certain products.

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

lord browne of ladyton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel on 10 July (HL Deb, col 1347), whether they will now answer the question put, namely whether Parliament will be given access to the methodology referred to in the Written Ministerial Statement made byLord Grimstone of Boscobel on 7 July(HLWS336).

lord grimstone of boscobel: The Written Ministerial Statement of 7th July 2020 explained and set out details of the revised methodology developed to comply with the Court of Appeal’s judgment of 20th June 2019 and applied to re-take the decisions remitted by the Court of Appeal on the correct legal basis. HM Government have no plans to publish the assessments to which the Noble Lord refers. Such assessments use all available sources of information – including some that are necessarily confidential and sensitive – so we are not able to provide details of the assessments.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

BBC: Finance

lord stevenson of balmacara: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to commission an independent review of the BBC’s funding needs to ensure that it receives the resources needed to meet theresponsibilities set out in its Charter.

baroness barran: The BBC’s funding model is agreed with the Corporation as part of the Royal Charter. It was last considered as part of Charter Review 2015-16, during which process the Government committed to maintain the licence fee funding model for the BBC for the duration of the current Charter period, lasting until the end of 2027. The current licence fee settlement is agreed until April 2022. Negotiations between the Government and the BBC for the next licence fee period, 2022-27, will begin in due course. The Government will set out more detail on the process to be followed ahead of negotiations.

Social Media: Epilepsy

lord stevenson of balmacara: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the prevalence of the deliberate sharing of material capable of causing an epileptic seizure on social media platforms, and (2) the case for including measures against such behaviour in their forthcoming online harms legislation.

baroness barran: The Online Harms White Paper sets out the government’s plans for world leading legislation to make the UK the safest place to be online. We intend to establish in law a new duty of care on companies towards their users which will be overseen by an independent regulator. The ‘duty of care’ will ensure companies take risk-based and proportionate steps to keep their users safe. The regulator will also have the power to require companies to publish transparency reports, which will improve users’ understanding about the prevalence of harmful content and the countermeasures companies are taking. We will publish a full response to the white paper consultation later this year, which will set out final details regarding the scope of the duty of care and the obligations on companies. We will follow this with legislation. In addition to this new legislation, it is important to make sure that the criminal law is fit for purpose to deal with online harms. DCMS and the Ministry of Justice have engaged the Law Commission on a second phase of their review of abusive and offensive online communications. This will include considering whether co-ordinated harassment by groups of people online could be more effectively dealt with by the criminal law, whether it is targeted at individuals with epilepsy or others. The Law Commission will review existing communications offences and make specific recommendations about options for reform, to ensure that criminal law provides consistent and effective protection against such behaviour.

Huawei: Security

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance, if any, they provide to members of the public about the security ofHuawei products.

baroness barran: The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) provides a range of guidance to the public on how to secure their devices and accounts when using online services: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/information-for/individuals-families. They generally do not produce guidance for members of the public on how to secure specific devices, but encourage that they read the information provided by the manufacturer. In May 2019, in light of US sanctions against Huawei, the NCSC published advice for Huawei customers detailing the potential impact on customers in the UK. The NCSC updates its advice when necessary.